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Month: March 2016

I’ve scrolled past this video playing in my newsfeed for a few days because I thought it was something about bait bikes that I’d already seen. Turns out it’s actually about pop-up cycling infrastructure, and how simple changes can encourage more people to ride.

Creating that infrastructure is so integral to making real change in our cities and communities. Copenhagen, for example, realized in the 1970s gas crisis that they had built a system for cars, so over decades of engineering projects they went from 10% to 40% of the population using a bicycle for transportation. So, to quote from Bikes Vs. Cars (on which I am far overdue on a blog post!): the decisions we make now will impact future generations and determine the outcome of the next 100 or so years. Either way, our children and our children’s children will live in a reality that we are creating right now through our (often short-sighted) choices.

And, thanks to some of the innovations seen in this video, some of those choices are very easy to make.

Next time someone complains about how much money is spent on biking and walking infrastructure, point them to this handy infographic from a San Francisco data set illustrating the relative amounts spent on different transit projects.. and then ask them to get back to you on that.

How this week feels after a cold, rainy winter? Pure bliss. Bring on that South Carolina sunshine, because I have an all new appreciation for blue skies and not having to pack a pannier full of winter layers for my commute.